Moonlight Reflections
by Sunflora200
Summary: Post Blood series with eventual Hagi x Saya. Time continually flows onward bringing with it a new tomorrow: Saya is finally awake and much has changed. What challenges now await?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Blood+ or any of its characters.

**Author's Notes: **This will be my second ever fanfiction and this time written in dedication to the Saya/Hagi pairing which I adore after watching the Anime. I still haven't decided whether to leave this as a one-shot or make it a prologue and write a longer story. Please review after reading and maybe let me know if I should continue.

**Prologue**

He would continue to watch over her.

Until the end of time itself though every minute he lived and every breathe he drew was a constant reminder of his solitude.

Here lies the curse of immortality.

At this time of the night, the streets were nearly deserted. Crumpled bits of old newspaper and white paper were swept through the gutters like countless dying butterflies. In a dark alleyway, a young couple exchanged hasty kisses and passionate vows.

Other than that, only the full moon and its silvery glow gazed down upon the tall slim man with what appeared to be a large cello case strapped to his backside. His hair hung black against his perfectly tailored suit. He used to have a blue ribbon to bind it with but he had left it somewhere ten years ago. It was a token, a reminder and there it would remain for twenty more long years.

The sound of a crash in the distance earned a barely noticeable shift from a pair of slate-grey eyes. Only the shadow of a black cat could be seen slinking past a dumpster.

Yes, he was undeniably weary. But it was the sort of weariness that even sleep could not cure. One could certainly never tell by the steady, determined steps the man took. The average bystander might in fact have taken him to be either an eccentric entrepreneur or a creature transported hundreds of years into the future. Most likely the latter.

But that was the problem with the rest of humanity though. They did not understand him, did not know his secret. Perchance, most might have given up their souls to attain such immortality such as his. But he did not blame them. She had taught him after all the meaning of patience, to hide dangerous emotions under a steady, tranquil exterior.

She, the very being who had killed him and given him life at the same time. She who he was bonded to for eternity and would give his very life to protect. She who had once taught him how to smile again. And she the very reason why he could not smile anymore.

"Saya…" Hagi breathed.

His voice held the chill of winter.

The thin air brought a slight zephyr to trace ripples through his loose hair. It wasn't autumn yet but very close and all around there existed an indescribable tension in the atmosphere. Living things seemed to be holding their breath in waiting for some great change to occur. For change after all was always inevitable.

A particular grove of red maple trees warned Hagi that he was close. Slowly, methodically, almost instinctively he continued to walk. And suddenly almost as if by magic a great number of white steps separated itself from the night and rose stark and naked against a dark backdrop. Saya's tomb. Where she now lay sleeping lulled by the melody of rustling leaves and the footsteps of small nocturnal creatures.

He always made an attempt to visit this spot at least once every six months and leave the fragrant roses she adored. No matter how far his travels led him, Hagi never broke the promise to himself to return where his life had originated.

He noticed upon reaching the top that someone had recently swept the front entrance of the tomb and across the smooth stone now lay a most curious object. A small stuffed rabbit propped up very carefully. Kneeling, he picked up the bauble with his hand. Indeed had a stranger come upon the scene, he or she would had been both initially confused even frightened at the spectacle. Here a grown man with fine features (Indeed calling him beautiful would not have stretched the truth as in many other cases) possessing of two hands wrapped entirely in white bandages and holding a stuffed animal. Yet surely, one would have understood and secretly grieved upon observing the look of suffering reflected in this same man's countenance.

Gently, the stuffed rabbit was replaced with a single long-stemmed pink rose now at its feet. He rose and went to stand quietly beside the low stone building. It felt strangely warm against his touch and seemed to pulse with dormant life and Hagi found himself lovingly tracing the smooth stone with bandaged claws. Then seeing these same hands, seeing himself he abruptly drew away and rose to his feet.

"Sleep well, Saya."

He wondered if she dreamed, if she nightly relived her days spent in the sunshine. After all, what does one dream of for thirty years? He had asked Saya once after her first long sleep and she had lifted up her eyes in wonderment at his question. Of course, she could never remember and if she did, these subconscious thoughts perhaps too horrible to believe were repressed.

He wondered if she would remember him this time upon her next awakening. The chiropteras would not be a threat any longer and this time if she was happier in her current life without him, without her haunted memories, Hagi vowed to himself that he would let her be. He would stay away though the effort itself might at last kill him. And perhaps along with the passage of time, Saya would forget completely of his existence. Finally and at last then, she would be able to have the life of normality he had once seen her so happy in. And secretly in the shadows, he would continue to guide her for as long as she needed him.

That was Hagi's new promise. This time made only to himself.

He descended the steps and let the darkness at the bottom quickly swallow up his shadow. And as suddenly as he had come, he was gone again.


	2. Chapter 1: Purgatory

**Author's Notes: **Thanks for all the wonderful comments! So I've decided to continue this story after all though updates might be slow partly because I'm very busy with class these days and partly because I haven't worked out the exact plot of this piece yet. Reviewing or sending me messages with ideas would be much appreciated as always. Oh and the rating has gone up a bit.

**Chapter 1: Purgatory**

_Twenty years later…_

It was a warm, breezy spring afternoon that day.

There was the same reassuring drone of costumers crowded into the cozy eatery. Cheerfully, they slurped at their steaming bowls of noodles and discussed the latest bits of gossip. Somewhere in the room, a housefly buzzed before proceeding to throw itself dazedly against the window sill.

"Hey Kai! Another bowl straight away!" shouted a sandy-haired man with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time, Chris," called back a rugged man in his forties from behind the kitchen counter. He chopped irritably at a bunch of baby cabbages, his hand moving dexterously through the air.

"Come on! I'm starving here!" The chair creaked nervously as the costumer leaned back and patted his stomach with exaggerated motions. Then from the corner of his eye, he seemed to catch sight of something that piqued his interest and offered a momentary distraction.

"Well, well, I didn't think I'd see you here today, beautiful!" he reached over and would have taken her hand had it been abruptly snatched away. "Come to help out your uncle?"

"Yes, I have if it's any of your business," replied the newest object of his attention crossly. She stood towering over the seated man with her arms folded and her face half-hidden in shadows. "I'm going to waitress here for the next month again and if you so much as try to cause me any trouble…"

"Ah, I wouldn't dream of it," said Chris. He gazed with open admiration at the slender figure with the long sleek black hair and chocolate brown eyes before him. And then at her withering glare back, he quickly held up his hands with an innocent look. "Really, I swear!"

She continued to stand with her hands on her hips, unmoving.

"And I'm a little hurt by the way, Kyuui. Must I constantly remind that we went to the same college and here you continue to act nothing but coldness towards me." He turned away and sniffed in mock self-pity.

"Well, that's only because you're a baka and a constant irritation most of the time."

"But that's what you like about me, right?" exclaimed Chris, completely unnerved. He wore a mischievous smile on his face and leaned in slightly closer, encouraged by the pink tinge slowly spreading over the young lady's cheeks.

Then before she could open her mouth to rebuke the insufferable creature once more, the front door of the restaurant was suddenly thrown open with a resounding bang.

As if on cue, silence enveloped the restaurant. Many with chopsticks half-lifted to their mouths turned to regard the panting creature supporting itself against the doorway. Even the fly seemed to hang midair in flight with astonishment.

The light outside was such a bright contrast against the dim lighting of the diner that she could not at first recognize the dark silhouette. Until that is the sound of her name was being called by a familiar voice.

"David! David, what's happened?" cried Kyuui, rushing at once to the elderly man, "Are you alright?" Her imagination was already envisioning all sorts of horrible disasters. An accident at the lab….Julia badly hurt….perhaps it was even her sister….At that thought, her eyes dilated in terror.

A bead of sweat made its slow course down David's forehead as he struggled to catch his breath. And it seemed an eternity had passed before he could gasp out rather incoherently, "She's waking…your uncle, Kyuui…I must see Kai at once."

* * *

Ironically, the day that Saya was to awaken was the night that Hagi lost a part of his soul.

For twenty years, he had avoided contact with society. Shunned it almost by traveling at night time.

He had toured the most beautiful landmarks in Europe, ridden on the roofs of winding trains that bellowed out smoke like long extinct dragons. He had sat and listened to orchestras in Vienna under a moonlit night, had strolled through the Tuileries garden with nothing but the stars to watch over him. He had observed a great deal, had played over and over mournful melodies on his cello, and indeed in many ways had fulfilled his desires for travel and seen much of the world. True, his life possessed little constancy but it was in that aspect that he could at least call it constant.

But as time expanded, Hagi once more craved the comfort of human companionship, of friendship and of love. The sort that is which could not be permanently his. For after all, chevalier as he was and immortal, he still nevertheless possessed a soul which called out and occasionally yearned for indescribable things.

Very rarely, he even allowed himself to think of Saya.

The feeling of longing grew strong as Hagi grew weak. He had eaten little and sleep was of no consequence. Human food had no longer any taste for him and human blood, the true nourishment needed, was impossible to obtain. The very notion of directing biting into an innocent or robbing a blood bank was revolting to him.

So one spring night only a week before and having completely lost track of the passage of time, he had stumbled back into Okinawa lulled there by an unreasonable desire to see some traces of familiarity. And there under the inky shroud of darkness and flung into his path by fate, Hagi had encountered the violent cries of a hulking creature raping a young woman in the alleyway.

She was pined against the dirty ground, her dark hair flung towards one side so that he could not see her face, and a knife pressed to her white throat. Bits of tattered blue fabric was all that was left of a silk blouse.

During his travels, he had seen much suffering in the forms of poverty and disease but never something so shocking, so lurid. In this way, Hagi was still innocent despite his years. Yes, he had killed creatures with his bare hands, heard the familiar noise of metal ripping through flesh, and felt the bitter warmth of blood bubbling into his hands.

But this was entirely different.

This, though all logic told him to step aside and place a call on a nearby phone for the police, ignited a fire in his blood that would not be quenched. He was feeble at having foregone food for several weeks again and the possibility of discovery was high even in the middle of the night.

But there was something about the blackness of her hair which reminded him of someone.

It was this image burnt into Hagi's mind which prompted him to rush unseeing at the dark being and pull it violently aside. Then came the short scuffle and the burning pain of a dagger being pushed ruthlessly into his stomach.

The man was very strong. That or he from years of neglect and idleness had become very weak.

A scent of blood, his own most likely, was permeating the air with its metallic twang. It hung warm and thick in the atmosphere and whispered of death as the two creatures continued to grapple noiselessly. Their struggle soon grew to an animalistic intensity.

He remembered it was at that very instance when the man had pushed him onto the dirty ground and held the blood-stained dagger above him that one of the bandages unraveled. Cruelly, his claws were exposed to the air.

The curved white nails catching the ethereal rays of moonlight glistened and brought a look of terror to the man's countenance. His hand grasping the dagger trembled ever so softly. Already there was the simmering stench of uncertainty written on the dark face as it leered above him.

"My God, what the hell are you?"

"It does not matter," replied Hagi before plunged his hand into the exposed breast.

Droplets of crimson blood rained down upon his face like a warm spring shower.

**

* * *

**

_The reeking odor of burning flesh was overpowering as he bent panting over the crimson dirt. Beads of salty sweat created trails down his face and evaporated quickly from the dawning sun. There amid amid the ruined rubble of what had once been a grand and spacious mansion were flung willy-nilly several mangled and smoldering bodies._

"_Saya….Saya…Oh God, what have I done?"_

_His hands were very red and he lifted them briefly to his face, studied them with a look of utter amazement. Those were not his own. _

_No, those were that of a stranger. A vengeful killer completely unscrupulous in the taking of life. It was reflected in Saya's eyes as he turned to look at her; that look of obvious horror and something else which he could not interpret. _

_She had knelt unmoving for what like seemed like an eternity with her tattered stained pink skirts pooled underneath like the petals of a shorn flower. There was the faint tint of red in her dilated pupils as she watched him._

"_Hagi!"_

_He would have collapsed painfully to the ground in despair had she not rushed to his side and laid her hand on his shoulder. _

_The light pressure was maddening and he pushed her aside as if her purity burnt him. He could not bring himself to meet her eyes either._

"_Please look at me." And placing both her hands to his face, she brought his face close to hers. Her palms felt very cool and soft against his hot cheeks._

_Much to his surprise and utter disbelief, he saw tears there. She was crying for him, the sinful creature who had just ruthlessly cut down so many human beings. _

_There was a smear of blood on his cheek and gently Saya wiped it away. He recognized the white handkerchief from her pocket as being part of a set that he had recently given her as a birthday present. For hours, Hagi remembered, he had spent roaming the town the day before looking for a seamstress who was skilled enough to embroider the line of intricate pink roses along the silken edges. That sort of idyllic life he, Saya, and Joel had led seemed like nothing but an idle daydream now._

"_It wasn't your fault, Hagi. Those men were trying to hurt us," Saya murmured. She was struggling very hard to speak bravely though tears continued to roll down her pale face. _

"_Saya…" _

"_But you must promise me." And her tone of voice suddenly grew very serious and stern. He could recognize it from how she had initially spoken to him during his childhood, a long time ago when she had believed him only a mere servant. "You must promise that you will try your best to suppress these powers and to not kill any living person on my account again. I was frightened."_

_Then, only then, did she finally break down and sob deep shuddering sobs in front of him. Long white fingers clung desperately to his shirt front as she cried out her pain and sorrow. The revelation of how deep her feelings were finally crept into Hagi's conscience at that moment. In all the years they had lived together, he had had almost never seen Saya cry. True, he had often observed the ever-present melancholy gleam in her eyes even while she laughed but so rarely had she ever shown him her tears…. _

"_Never again, Hagi. I was so frightened. So frightened..." _

"_Never again," he repeated with a breaking heart, drawing her frail figure into the circle of his arms. _

_For what else could he say to comfort her? _

"_I promise, Saya."_

**

* * *

**

That day so many centuries ago in a different setting, time, and life it seemed, Hagi had lost all consciousness of logic and thought. Afterwards, he shuddered to think of the almost feral pleasure he had taken in being able to smite down his enemies. The feeling of the power which breathed in his veins, a sort of blissful sense in losing control, and was as much part of himself as his continuously beating heart. It had called so irresistibly.

Saya had been his guiding conscience that day. But she was no longer here.

He was alone. All alone.

A scream pierced the air. A woman's scream, blood-curdling in its intensity and piercing through the drone which seemed to be drowning out his sense of hearing. He turned abruptly to her direction, confused and mildly irritated at the interruption.

Something warm dribbled from his fingers and he could taste the metallic tang of blood on the roof of his mouth. The city was unexpectedly quiet that night except for far away the piercing sound of a distant siren. And cold, the breeze was surprisingly getting quite cold against his skin. Still somewhat bewildered, Hagi rose slowly to his feet and took several unsteady steps toward the girl. She was obscured by thick black shadows, pressed against the brick wall, and trembling from nerve to nerve. Why such terror…

"Stay back! Please don't come any closer!" Each of her rapid gasps mingled her hot breath into the cold night air and her heart beat held the intensity of a rabbit staring its predator in the eyes.

He held out his hands to signify that he meant no harm.

"Monster, stay back!" Her pupils dilated in the darkness; she was half in hysterics now.

The word "monster" brought him to an abrupt halt. Monster….monster….so he was alienated to the category of monsters now…

Ever since the night of Amshel's death and he had lost his only human arm, he had never been able to properly look at himself. By avoiding mirrors, by detaching himself each day as he applied the white bandages, he was able to prolong what was inevitable.

That dawning sense of realization that never again would he be able to hide himself behind a human skin. That he could never bring himself to touch her using his own sensitive fingertips without bruising her fragile skin. He was a monster in the truest sense that he did not belong anymore to society; that he was a murderer of mankind.

That he had broken a promise yet again…

With a shuddering gasp, Hagi fled into the darkness.

And she was left alone in stunned silence, alone with the white drained corpse propped up like a huge rag doll against the brick wall.

It began to rain.


	3. Chapter 2: The Reawakening

**Author's Notes: **Enjoy and thanks so much for all the lovely reviews! Keep them coming because they really motivate me to update faster. Anyways, think of this chapter as furthering the plot a little…

**Chapter 2: The Reawakening**

None of them had really expected her to remember anything when she awoke. And thus the slow and arduous process of recovering lost memories would occur once again.

So that day as six strangers clad in warm garments to ward off any sudden spring chills made their way to the secluded Okinawa tomb, all secretly possessed feelings of pain mingled in their anticipation.

Thirty years was a very long time, nearly half the lifespan of a normal human being in fact. No less the girl would be frightened and utterly bewildered at first in their strange presence. She would need to be reintroduced to society and it was up to them as her guardians to patiently teach Saya the etiquettes and rules of life. To place her in a local high school, to ensure a peaceful home life and most of all to tell many lies initially…

The tomb pulsated with a warm light as they rapidly ascended the many steps and paused to catch harried breaths. Like a giant cocoon housing some magnificent butterfly, a radiance of smothered energy was expelled into the quickening air.

Kai was the first one to enter the tomb.

The temperature was very warm inside since a soft golden glow surrounded the white sarcophagus. Bright beams bounced off the otherwise darkened walls and illuminated each individual stone.

Something was stirring inside, anxious for freedom.

Very faintly, he could also hear the soft mechanical whirr of the video cameras and heat sensors cleverly hidden in the walls of the tomb in order to monitor Saya's movements and safety. It had been Joel's ideas and though Kai had initially been averse to the idea, he had finally agreed after a persuasive argument put forth by Julia. Nevertheless, the equipment remained for the last ten years to him as an intrusion upon Saya's privacy, as an incongruity to its surroundings.

"I was in the lab this morning and spikes on the thermographs begun to go haywire. At first, I couldn't quite believe what I saw and asked Lewis to come over and confirm." There was a dazed look on David's lined face as he spoke, so entirely uncharacteristic of the still so self-possessed and immaculate man.

There was a touch of hushed awe from the others. It was as if the solitude of the tomb had robbed them of the ability to speak let alone act.

Finally, it was Joel who stepped forward. Joel who had been ushered in from a very important meeting and who now wore his red silk tie slightly askew. Of the group and in the past thirty years, he had done much in earning redemption for the deeds of his great granduncle and was now as much an honorable friend as head of Red Shield.

At his movement, Kai seemed to finally collect his wits about him too.

Together, the two very carefully pried open the top of the tomb. The surface felt as warm as it seemed and though there were no clouds of dust or cobwebs or priceless buried treasure normally associated with such appearances, there was just as much eagerness in all of the adventurers.

"Saya…" murmured Kai as he peered into the vastness.

A beam of dying sunlight illuminated her softly flushed cheeks and defined the richness of her long black hair: it had grown in her sleep until it now lay pooled around her shoulders like a rich exotic mantle. The light traced her delicately closed eyelids and kissed her pale pink lips, finally coming to rest on the white cloth of the shirt Saya wore.

It was extraordinary and though no one said so, all felt the same thing.

She had not changed at all and though the world around had altered and grayed, Saya was still Saya. There on her lovely tranquil face was the manifestation of a girl taking a light nap and certainly not the creature who had lain in a coma-like state for thirty long years.

They did not remember how long it was before her eyelids finally fluttered open for in the small room, the passage of time itself seemed to have stopped for them as well.

The same soft brown eyes.

Eyes capable of heart wrenching tenderness as well as murderous rage.

They watched her silently, afraid even of drawing breathe. Would she have forgotten everything? Would she? Would she?

"Saya…" said Kai again as if uttering her name would be like a sort of magical incantation. He of all the others stood closest to her.

And ever so slowly, Saya turned wondering eyes towards the elderly man and smiled.

* * *

By night he relived the moments of his former life in dreams and by day he spent futilely struggling against his binds.

Centuries and centuries, it seemed, he had been lost there in the darkness. A great cold vastness at the bottom of the sea and if he had been mortal, would have driven him to insanity long ago. But perhaps that wasn't far from the truth. Perhaps he was really insane after all.

Did a madman realize his madness? And if he did, could one call him mad any longer?

Whenever he closed his eyes, a single thought remained a constant torment. A bright image burnt into the back of his mind and which provided hope, desperate delusions, and terrible rage all at once. It was an image of a goddess with flowing dark locks, alabaster skin, and rosebud lips. In his dreams, his thoughts, she remained ever constant: long silk dress draped gracefully over her slender build, fresh roses in her hair, and the familiar wistful expression on her countenance.

Yet there was nothing static about her moods. She could be as cool and distant as a marble statue one instant and bring him to his knees with her passionate adoration the next. Cruel, mercurial, spoiled, and possessing an innate regality as this goddess did, he could naught but bow to her every whims. Such as his desperate love for this creature.

For his queen.

For his wife.

But fate had been cruel in its judgment as it was apt to be when confronted with such bliss and jealously, it had severed them apart. It had appeared first in the form of natural or unnatural disasters, swept their peaceful kingdom away like brittle parchment scattered to the zephyr and despite all their powers and intelligence, none could foresee such events. Luckily for most, the struggle was brief and the fall though tragic was mercifully brief.

For several years afterwards, he knew nothing but chaos and the stinking putrid odor of death. Such was the terrible contrast between what had once been utopia and such was the fall of innocence into the black pits of sin and greedy corruption.

He remembered clawing as furiously as some feral beast and clinging desperately to life. During this period, it was only she who sustained him and gave him the will to survive while all others fell. He lived for her alone.

This was the extent of their suffering. Alone, terribly afraid, and abandoned on a strange land with creatures who bore such remarkable resemblance to themselves, every moment of every day was fraught with guilt and desperation. Why had they been allowed to live when so many others were less fortunate? Had they somehow still a purpose yet to fulfill or was fortune simply being cruel once more?

They fought for acceptance and when that itself remained unachievable, fought for naked survival. The knowledge of everlasting alienation simply because of what they were was terrible to bear when it came. A sink into shameful depravity followed, a feeling of tragic apathy, and in the process lives drained of its sustenance were lost.

An internal struggle inevitably took part and for the first and last time, they argued.

He still clung futilely to a future with her, would have given up his soul had he one left for his goddess.

But she was wretchedly unhappy and weary of spirit. Like a wilting flower, rosy cheeks turned hollow, bright eyes cast themselves to the dusty ground, and a voice once joyful with bright songs bespoke the dry rattle of dead leaves. She was fading away and there could be no salvation in his love.

Helplessly, he could only stand by and watch until one warm autumn night after they had taken a stroll under the vast constellations, she slipped away quietly into the shadows and vanished from his life forever. The warm imprint of her lips against his, the silent tears she cried, and the wild laughter bursting from her lips that night had all been signs gone unnoticed by him.

That is until he awoke the morning after with his hands utterly empty and instinctive panic rising in his throat.

The next few months could only be accurately described as a waking nightmare. Nearly every hour spent walking and searching with no rest….no relief…

At first, he had tried seeking help from the others but either some did not know or merely refused to cooperate.

"Move along, buddy!" jeered the dark shadows without the faintest hint of sympathy. And then as he stumbled away, he could physically feel their searing looks and curious whispers behind his back.

Alone, alone, he was all alone now…with no friends, no family, not even his beloved.

Desperation turned to rage and like a cornered creature, his anger was directed to those whom he had formerly tried so hard to gain acceptance from. A brief struggle took place in his soul and quickly crumbled away to reveal the darker innate nature hidden in all creatures and only brought forth upon the direst of situations.

Revenge. He craved the thing, wanted to wreak the same amount of suffering as human society had caused him. He wanted those who had laughed, had jeered, pointed, those same wretched creatures to writhe in the same physical pain as he had experienced emotionally.

From that period on, he swore to cast aside all traces of feeling which he shared with these creatures.

If monster they believed him to be then monster he would become in shape and form...

* * *

Initially, he supposed it only to be of his imagination. That single beam of light slicing through the darkness and rotating around and around. It cast shadows on the murky rocks, caused blind sea creatures to scatter, and made his pupils dilate in pain.

A dream.

Or death.

Perhaps he had finally died and gone to another world. He would have been grateful for that. Not that a whit of him still believed in a heaven or whatever the humans had called it. Nevertheless, a very long time ago when he had been inside a church once, he had heard the black-robed priest speak of the dying seeing a warm halo of light before the end.

Perhaps this was it. Perhaps after centuries of physical suffering and weariness, some aspect of mercy would at last be offered to him.

But this could not be so.

Through the hazy blue waters where his broken body laid waiting, shafts of yellowness grew and merged into one bright beacon. A monstrous prehistoric beast possessing of great steel eyes which both mesmerized and impressed him with its vastness.

He could only gaze up in wonder.

The hatch on one side underwater ship opened, a bizarre alien pod emerged, and through the blueness, he could make out the dark shape of a man possessing of a shock of curly golden hair contained inside. Where did this being come from and how had he managed to survive the intolerable pressure in such depths?

It floated like a great bubble through the waters, an object which hung between time and space. Closer and closer, surely it was taking its own sweet time.

His dark eyes followed its every movement. Closer…closer…this was no trick of the imagination anymore. He breathed still, felt the intake of air fill and expand his lungs. Scarcely would he trust his senses anymore but innately he felt the ship to be of reality.

It was coming for him, come to take him away from this literal hell hole.

And oh! Only then would he make them pay…pay dearly for every second he had spent down here.

A steel network composed the outer shell yet left room for a semi-transparent glass window to wrap round the top half. In shape, it resembled a perfect egg, polished and without the incongruities of exposed corners. Beautifully it hung in space as if a living creature silently contemplating the pitiful creature held captive there. Unmoving and without any trace of fear left, he gazed intently right back.

"My lord," echoed a distant voice."

"Who are you?" croaked he and the world heard again his voice after nearly three centuries.

"You may call me Nathan or simply servant if you prefer. Welcome back, my lord! The world lies at your feet." A sweep of a motion signifying a low dramatic bow.

A soft growl rose involuntarily in the depths of his throat.


	4. Chapter 3: Truth and Lies

**Author's Notes: **Just wanted to start off by thanking some of my wonderful reviewers: Nozem-chan, PreyoftheDemons, Kuro-Hidama, Alcaringuatari, Captain applesauce, bluecornmoongirl, etc. And yes, I realize the story was a bit confusing before but hopefully this chapter clears a little bit up. Also don't worry, Hagi and Saya will meet up soon of course. Poor Hagi is just in suspended animation right now.

**Chapter 3: Truth and Lies**

In the quiet of a shaded garden, there sat three gentlemen conversing intimately around a glass table. Sprawled around the polished surface was evidence of a tea party recently concluded: cups, saucers, plates of delicate refreshments, and a large porcelain teapot still half full of imported Earl Grey.

"Well, well, you've actually gone and done it, Mr. Mahler," said a heavy-set man, "I am very ashamed of any former doubts towards you." He was apologizing but there was an entire lack of sincerity in his eyes and voice which the German took little pains to hide.

Whether Nathan noticed this or not, he had his own reasons for hiding his displeasure since a mirthless grin blossomed on his wide lips. "Oh my dear, dear Mr.Wechsler! Of course you had every right to doubt me! I myself didn't believe I could do it either till last week." He leaned back in his chair and from the depths of his trouser pocket, retrieved a gold pocket watch.

All three eyes watched the precious bauble as the blonde grasped the heavy chain between thumb and index finger and lazily dangled it back and forth. A strand of light like a trapped moth caught on its yellow surface and glimmered, transfixing them all momentarily.

"Ahem," coughed the third member nervously after a moment as an interruption. He was a short, shriveled bit of a creature with very brown leathered skin and a large black birthmark on the left side of his neck. "It isn't every day, you know, when we see a man brought to life again after many centuries. Not even with the technologies available today," said Mr. Diego, stating the obvious. "Will you tell us again how you managed to locate this creature?"

There was a look of respectful fear in Mr. Diego's face as he turned towards Nathan. A fear which the blonde found himself liking much more than Mr. Wechsler's insolence. He would not have to keep as close a watch on this one as the other.

"Well…" with the same exaggerated smile. He bent as if to whisper a secret and then abruptly rose to his feet. "Goodness, look at the time, gentlemen!" The watch was swallowed up by his pocket once more. "I'm afraid I need to be back in the office by two for a very important news brief!" He made to go but was suddenly stopped by a very gruff voice.

"Mr. Mahler! I have undergone many personal risks in obtaining funds for this operation of yours and by God I will have some answers today!" A fist came slamming down onto the table with a sharp bang. "Sit down!" he pointed to the chair.

Blue eyes narrowed and for a moment there was a glint of hellish red there in the pupils. Had one looked closely, one might have also observed the instinctive flexing of Nathan's hands. Powerful hands that could crush through steel.

But the moment lasted for only a second. It wasn't worth losing control.

He slumped back down onto the chair with a deep sigh. "My boss will have my head for this…"

"Since I was so kindly invited to stay, however…" Nathan paused and for those rare moments, a look of quiet intensity replaced his normally frivolous expression.

"I believe I have already told you about a pair of twin girls named Saya and Diva a while back, yes?" He waited for their nods although there was really no need. "Well gentlemen, what if I am to tell you that our very own mystery man is their dear father?"

* * *

"Kai?"

"Yes, Saya?" His head shot up immediately. It was truly amazing that her mere act of saying his name would so deeply move him.

"I want to go outside for a walk please."

"Can you wait for a little while until I finish up these accounts?" A mishmash of stacked papers and a large calculator was piled very haphazardly over one corner.

"It's alright, I can go alone if you're busy."

"Saya…" he sighed, "You know that you're not well enough to."

She opened her mouth to protest, an instinctive rebellion rising within but the gentle yet stubborn look in his eyes silenced her. Taking a deep breath, Saya nodded obediently. Kai was after all only acting in her best interests and she ought to take his advice. She really wasn't well enough to go out by herself just yet.

"Yes, Kai."

An hour passed in the silence of the sitting room as Kai worked away at his accounts, the steady grate of his pencil the only other sound in the room besides the ticking of the mahogany grandfather clock. Though Saya held a book in her hand, she was only pretending to be reading. Both Kyuui and her sister Ashita lived in their own apartments close to town and although she had met her nieces, Saya nevertheless felt distanced from the two as well as her brother Kai.

It was almost as if everyone walked on eggshells in her presence.

The same looks of worry, of pity. The hasty whispers when they felt she had turned her back and could not hear. It was in the restrictions imposed: her not being able to leave the house without an escort, of only being able to gaze out longingly against the window sill as she watched girls her age file back to class, and daily trips to the hospital for check-ups and blood transfusions.

Somewhere in the abyss, the clock chimed three o'clock in the afternoon and caused Kai to lower his pencil with a start.

Just three days ago, he had promised that she would be able to attend school again soon. "I have talked to the teachers and transferred you to Okinawa high school, Saya. Soon you will be able to start classes there."

Saya had nodded silently and turned her head away with an inscrutable expression upon her face. Really, there was much she ought to be happy and grateful for. So many people all around her who took such good care of her, who was kind beyond the call of duty. Therefore, so what if no one seemed entirely comfortable in her presence yet? If she could literally feel the tension suspended in the air even at their welcoming smiles everyday?

She had after all survived a terrible accident and lost all of her memories. This must be a great burden and tragedy for them all including herself. Memories painted a picture of the past and without one's past, there cannot exist a future. Saya knew this without any complicated explanations and secretly mourned her loss outside observant eyes. A sister who bore her nieces which Saya could not even attribute a face to, people like David and his wife Julia who cared so much for her but which she did not remember meeting, and Kai the stranger she shared the house with.

It was all so terribly frustrating. And futile. No one dared tell her much. Leave it to time and circumstances, people said. _Time will heal all wounds, Saya. Trust in it and the memories will come again. _She found herself often lying awake with the open windows oozing spring air into her room, wondering if somewhere out there she had forgotten about someone. Another strand of life formerly connected to hers and that now lay unraveled in some ditch.

Different, something marked her as being apart from the rest of the world. Deep inside, she knew this too and felt somehow that her memories were not the only precious aspects lost to her…

"Aren't you okay, Saya? You look kinda distant," remarked Kai good-naturedly at the blank look on her face at this bit of news.

Deep inside Saya hardly knew how to respond. Yes, she was happy in being able to go to school again and yet despondent and frustrated at the same time over her weaknesses. She just couldn't remember. No matter how much she desperately wished to, had prayed every night before bed in recalling those precious moments of life lost to her, it was all simply in vain…

"Saya? Are you ready to go?"

The current Kai was peering curiously down at her.

"Saya? Are you alright?" Always the same question spoken in the same tone of voice.

His hair, it has specks of grey mingled in among the reddish brown, she found herself musing rather lazily. Had it always been that way? Had he always had those crinkles in the corners of his eyes? At the bottom of his lips?

She mentally shook her head to clear her mind. What odd thoughts these were and so completely out of the blue too.

"I'm fine," she snapped rather irritably and got to her feet. Then at the anxious look that was so characteristic of Kai nowadays, she softened visibly. "Gomen Kai, I know that you're only worried about me."

Ever so hasty in temperament and equally quick in remorse afterwards. He found himself smiling at this spark of familiarity from the girl.

"There's no need for apologies, Saya." Kai walked over and gently rested his hands on both of her shoulders. "I know that it's irritating in not being able to go out by yourself right now but it will only be for a little while."

The expression on her face must have reflected her apprehension.

"I promise," Kai reaffirmed. "You'll get your memories back eventually and everything will be fine again."

"And what if I never do, Kai? What then?" She swallowed thickly. Her worst fear: to live life as if in a waking dream with no conception of who she ever was.

"Saya, you have to give it time. And know that all of us will do our best to help you along the way."

"You'll take me places that I've been before the accident? I've been thinking about it, Kai, and although the photos you showed me didn't work, maybe this will."

And how could he refuse those eyes when they gazed up so eagerly at him? "Of course, I will. We'll go to the park, the beach, the high school, and…" he paused with a repressed grimace. "…the museum as well. Everywhere and anything it takes for you to remember again."

He felt as if he was really consoling a small frightened child. Kiss the hurt and tell it that all will be okay again. Then send it on its way with a white lie quietly told to preserve the innocent.

Saya….Saya…what has become of our vow once to keep no secrets from each other?

"Thank-you, Kai."

They would do everything and anything to bring back her memories, to keep her happy. But along the way, something must be sacrificed. Something must bend and break into a million irreparable pieces, left to lie lost and forgotten in the dark caves.

Yes, they would do everything in their powers indeed. Except tell Saya the truth.

* * *

"Beautiful specimen, is he not? Absolutely magnificent!"

"Good God, Mr. Mahler! What on earth have you uncovered?"

Two other pairs of eyes gazed wonderingly at the most bizarre image of a full-grown man suspended in a crystal case filled with whitish fluid. A mixture of winding tubes snaked their way into his skin and made tortuous routes back to a great black box located nearby.

"Not another step closer, gentlemen. The chamber must be kept absolutely sterile." Gloved hands made some vague gesture to sweep the trio back.

"He was near death when I found him," explained Nathan to his companions. "And so I took him here to recover. See those funny little tubes?" He pointed at them. "They are circulating fresh plasma into his body."

Mr. Diego squinted his short-sighted eyes to get a better look for he had left his glasses back at the office. From his perspective, the creature in the case had long black hair speckled with hints of grey at the sides, fine features, and a prominent brow which bespoke of great passions and was of slim build. He was stripped to the waist and one could clearly observe his bare chest rise and fall in slow even breaths.

"Another week and he should be fully recovered."

There was a moment of silence from Mr. Diego and Mr. Wechsler until the latter broke the tension with his surly voice. "And what then?"

"Why anything at all. The world will be at our fingertips, my dear friends," said Nathan simply and he offered them his smile.


	5. Chapter 4: Into the Darkness

**Author's Notes: **Realized I haven't updated in close to a year now: so first of all, very sorry to all my patient readers and secondly, my only excuses are that college has been keeping me very busy and I've been experiencing severe writer's block while developing a plotline. I'm not satisfied with this chapter at all but feel I should just get it out there for now and maybe revise later. Anyways, enjoy and please leave a review! They motivate me to keep writing this story.

**Chapter 4: Into the Darkness**

The darkness was pressing around her, heavy and thick as velvet until she could scarcely breathe. Then, too, were the insubstantial voices which taunted and mocked and left her hanging on the brink of insanity.

"Stop it! Stop it!" she cried out feverishly to the shapeless forms. They ignored her of course, resumed the same monotonous hum. And despite her hands pressed against her ears, she could not drown out the dreadful noise. "Please go away…"

One brushed so close that its hot breath brought goose bumps against her arm. Another swept by to whisper horrible, unspeakable things in her ears.

Her terrible fear cascaded into despair as hot tears streamed down her sightless face. Alone. Alone. She was hopelessly alone with nothing but the darkness and the creatures which dwelt in it.

A gunshot somewhere in the distance. A sharp pop followed by a stinging pain which barely grazed her tender shoulder. So they were trying to kill her, defenseless and alone as she was.

Well she would not let them. Somewhere in the corners of her bewildered frenzied mind echoed the sound of a beautifully sad song, driving her forward and giving her courage. Whether reality or a mere illusion she could not say.

But no, she couldn't simply lie down and surrender though they tormented her both physically and emotionally. There was another monster that she was responsible for in the world. A grave mistake which she must spend the rest of her life repenting.

Saya would fight.

Slash…a grave cry of agony and the creature fell. Others followed as she cut through them like weeds. Slash…a splash of warmth on her pale cheeks. Slash…the voices were gradually dissipating one by one, replaced by shouts of fear and the ever-present singing.

Her arms ached as she swung furiously into the abyss and punctuated holes through the rich veil. With her bare legs, she could clearly feel the brittle grass scratching against her knees.

Slash. Duck as sharp bangs sounded somewhere around her head. Slash. A monstrous creature bigger than all the rest had her pined momentarily against the hard ground. Uttering a cry of rage, she promptly struck out and heard its wounded keen.

They were gradually falling back; she could sense that and letting the bloodlust benumb her thoughts, Saya gave chase.

She had one prostrate on the ground now. He was talking some sort of gibberish and though the voice was familiar, the risk was too great for any second of indecision. A swift motion of her hand followed by a sharp gasp of pain. Really, she couldn't understand why she hadn't killed this one like with the others. This was another creature of the darkness after all and most likely thirsted for her blood.

Yet there was something in that pale face (her vision was slowly returning) which shone like a bright beacon through the night which was so indescribably sad. Why did he look so sad? The others had only remained blank masks in her memory and were therefore promptly cut down.

The bloodlust was overcoming her again. Her chest rose and fell with animalistic pants and still she could not pause. Must destroy before they destroyed her…

"Saya, don't you recognize me? Saya…"

Nonsense, utter nonsense. Who was this Saya the beast at her feet was referring to? She had no name and certainly if she did, no one here would know it…

Somewhere in the distance the sound of gunshots sounded once again and turning on her heels, she darted away to continue her dance of death.

Every night for the past week now, she relived her past life through these dreams. They always left her exhausted and drenched in sweat upon awakening. Horrible images, mere fragments burnt into the depths of her mind and which simmered just below the surface.

She had not told anyone of course. Though one time Saya had unconsciously cried out in her sleep and brought faithful Kai who was never far in the other room to her side. With tears streaming down her face, she had dismissed the ordeal as a mere nightmare. Kai had not pressed the subject but had only sat very patiently by her side as Saya drifted back to sleep again.

Only till he was halfway to the door did he believe her to mutter the name _Hagi _very softly. He stiffened and the hairs on the back of his neck rose. How peaceful her face seemed now, rosebud lips curled into a faint smile as she nestled further into the pillow. Asleep and dreaming again.

So despite all, Saya would inevitably recover her memories.

* * *

The shrill volume of the alarm shattered the otherwise peaceful morning at the laboratory and sent everyone scurrying towards its source. Confusion abounded as the clock had only barely struck seven. Some of the workers even had coffee mugs still latched onto their hands.

No one was really prepared for the horrible sight that greeted them however.

And which caused the men in white lab coats to immediately scatter like the feathers of a dove.

"Mr. Mahler, sorry to disturb you but there has been a grave disaster. I'm afraid that our prisoner has escaped," spoke the lab director into the phone. He glanced nervously behind his shoulder all the while.

The alarm had not since stopped its shrill wail and the noise was more piercing by the second. For somewhere in the darkness of the winding corridors, a frenzied and desperate creature staggered and craved release.

That was the thought foremost in Nathan's mind as he careened his car towards the building.

Mayhem was evident by the huddled group of white-coated scientists by the entrance. Even from a distance, he could see some had odd, mismatched splashes of crimson across their uniforms.

"Mr. Mahler! Mr. Mahler!"

A middle-aged man had reached the car and was frantically banging on the side window with a curled fist. There was an ugly red gash on his forehead and a wild, frantic look in his eyes.

Impatiently, Nathan rolled down the windows.

"He...he's escaped! In the forest…somewhere…killed a couple of our men…damn son-of-a-bitch!" gasped out the man. He had his hand partially draped across the door in an attempt to catch his breath. "God, Wechsler will have our heads for this!" He seemed completely unconcerned over the heavy dark cut on his face although Nathan watched with irritation as a drop of blood plopped onto the car.

"Yes, I've heard."

"God, he could be anywhere by now! The beast is a raging monster! The devil himself! I watched him rip a man clean in half! Oh God!" He continued to babble meaningless, bits of spittle running off the corners of his mouth and the whites of his eyes showing.

_Humans…_

Without answering, Nathan rolled his eyes and closed back up the window. He was almost amused by the way his discovery had managed his escape. It seemed that centuries of imprisonment had not weakened the creature at all but only imbued it with the necessary amount of rage.

Surely, such raw power when harnessed in the right hands would mean the accomplishment of all his desires.

Smiling and humming a monotonous tune, he pressed lightly on the gas pedal and backed the car away towards the forests surrounding the laboratory. Already his keen chiropteran senses felt the frantic steps of the creature as it raced desperately through the forest.

It had not far to run.

* * *

The same horrible images were etched so deeply into her mind that Saya could literally smell the sharp odor of gunpowder and hear the dying shouts of shadows as they fell before her. But one image stood out most clearly and refused to blend into the meaningless jumble.

The sorrowful grey eyes of a meaningless man.

She must have known him, somewhere and somehow. Seen his face on TV at least. Really, his name was only on the tip of her tongue, a key placed tantalizingly by a locked door. If only she could will herself to reach down and retrieve the precious memory before the shadows swallowed her back up.

If only…only…

The moon was a silvery crescent hanging in the darkness when Saya lifted away the curtains to reveal night time. Tendrils of chilly air crawled slow weary paths down her pale bare legs and heightened the girl's senses. But it wasn't cold enough, not to the point that she should seek the warmth of her bed yet.

She could see a tall tree just adjacent to the sidewalk, so much illuminated by a streetlamp that its bare branches looked streaked in gold. And then beyond that was the small street where she had seen children play but which was now deserted, the fenced-over softball field, and then more buildings surrounding this little oasis.

Kai told her that Okinawa had grown over the years. No doubt before the accident, all of these places stretched before her window had held special memories.

Did she play with the other girls on the street: hopscotch and jump rope on lazy summer days? Laughed and gossiped while walking to school?

Embraced the branches of that tree and used them to haul herself up to the very tops where she might be closer to the azure sky?

Perhaps…it was all possible along with a great many other things.

It was then as she leaned with her eyes half-closed against the windowsill that a brief image flashed momentarily across the back of her mind.

A young girl bridging on the edge of womanhood peered deep into the chasm of a dark cliff.

"Hagi! No, not that one! The flower on the left!" she called. And somewhere below, there was a pair of those same slate grey eyes which peered helplessly up at her before dissolving into darkness.

"Hagi…" murmured the present-day Saya. "Hagi…" It was the unknown incantation of magic. A word…no a name which opened unknown tunnels in the depths of her mind.

She was at once stricken with a raging headache and a sudden strange thirst for something unidentifiable. One so severe that it made her very knees tremble.

"I think I remember something," Saya murmured into the dark emptiness that was her room. Where no one else might hear her words or pretend to know her thoughts.

And as Saya gripped the cold glass with one hand to steady herself, she could've sworn that from amid the shadows of the tree below was camouflaged the figure and face of the man in her dreams.

* * *

The dense undergrowth resounded with his every step as the escaped prisoner tore wildly through the forest. However, elsewhere the air hung strangely quiet like some stagnant pool.

It lulled him into a false sense of security which he knew to be completely and utterly idiotic. The Labcoats would surely be hot on his trail by now: foolish of him to attempt escape in broad daylight and in such a severely weakened state. To the point where it was impossible to summon even a fraction of his abilities and he was forced to run on land like some hunted prey.

Foolish.

Indeed he was getting to be rather old and apt to letting his emotions overcome usual sense and patience.

_But surely over a century buried in the darkest portions of a vast ocean would bring about change to anyone_, he thought bitterly and not without irony.

The very reason why that morning, he had let a remarkable instance of blind rage and savagery turn his normally brown eyes dull amber. Why between ragged gasps, he had recovered his senses enough to observe that his hands were covered in gore and two Labcoats were lying at his feet with their necks slashed through.

The next precious moments found him crawling half-naked through a ventilation system with the resounding shriek of an alarm constantly in his ears.

Foolish creatures.

Should he have been in full possession of his strength…

An unknown protuberance on the ground brought him heavily to his hands and knees.

Somewhere amid the trees a creature other than himself breathed. He could hear and smell the life pulsating within before actually beholding its dark form.

It was moving towards him with supernatural speed. Surely, no ordinary mortal could travel with such stealth and confidence.

"I know you're there," he said without turning.

"Ah, I see that despite present conditions, your senses are still perfect," answered a soft voice. There was a light rustle, a rush of air near his cheek, and presently he beheld a blond, rather effeminate man of medium height before him. "Well alright then, might as well show myself."

The same person in fact whom he had blearily stared at while trapped in that underwater prison. Who had brought him out of one hell straight into another.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I?" the stranger reiterated between delicate lips and mockingly gave him a sweeping bow. "How shall I answer…perhaps let us start first of all by saying I am someone very much like you. And that I know more about you than you dare imagine."

He frowned with annoyance. "Are you toying with me?"

There was a rather annoying twinkle of forbidden knowledge in the stranger's blue eyes as he spoke again. "Not at all. I wouldn't dream of it."

"Then explain before I rip out your throat."

"Tsk…tsk, such a temper. But I suppose all those years spent on the bottom of the ocean cannot have improved ones manners."

Nathan was scarcely able to finish his sentence before he felt the lightning quick grasp of a hand around his neck and the sharp impact as he was brutally slammed against a tree.

"I am losing my patience, sir." There was a curious glint of savage red in the brown eyes now.

Letting himself hang limply without a struggle, Nathan was nevertheless very much aware of the potential danger exposed. Here was a weakened creature and yet weak as he might be, wasn't his hand still wrapped around his neck? Hasn't he already demonstrated by two brutal murders a certain degree of unpredictability and strength?

Coughing lightly, an insufferable smile plastered itself on Nathan's face. "Would it suffice to say that I know who, perhaps I ought to say _what _you are? For you see, I too am neither beast nor man."

"Will you continue to lie to me? I give one final warning." The hand tightened perceptibly. Deep in his mind, he felt rather unsettled by the continued serene composure of the blonde stranger. By his words and his possible knowledge.

"Well, I see that I cannot satisfy you at the moment and my current predicament is slowly becoming a bit of a nuisance."

And with that final warning, quick as lightening the prisoner suddenly found himself lying flat on his back, the wind completely knocked out of his chest till he was left choking and wheezing for breath. Further resistance was futile; he knew or rather felt it to be so. After all, that instance of having gained the upper hand over his almost delicate looking opponent had been nothing but an illusion.

"Kill me then." he pleaded brazenly. Dull brown eyes wearily followed the shadow of Nathan as he towered over him.

"I had hoped to avoid such messiness, you know. Really, I asked only for a private conversation not a direct confrontation. You and I, we ought to be allies …not engaged in such meaningless fighting." A silky chiding voice used to rebuff a wayward kitten.

"What do you want of me?"

"Ah," Nathan smiled as if expecting such a question. "I ask only for your cooperation."

"My cooperation? Is that really all?" he asked with a hint of bitter irony in his voice. Helpless and half-reclining in the dirt, he lowered his gaze in utter shame.

To be reduced to such a miserable state was surely worse than death…

"Well actually, the thing I require can be taken without your cooperation. But you see my good sir…" And Nathan bent till they were face-to-face, "I knew some people very precious to you in a past life and I'm sure still are. Your wife for example…and your daughter…I've given them an unbreakable promise, you see…" Nathan's voice drifted vaguely off and he straightened himself again.

Silently, the fallen man watched the dark shadow as it spread across the forest floor and crept to the very corners of his face and was suddenly made fully aware of a terrible physical power and cruelty.


End file.
